It’s safe to say this past weekend’s crosstown series between the White Sox and Cubs was the most exciting iteration of the crosstown rivalry in years. For starters, both teams entered the series with a record above .500, just the second time this has occurred since 2008 and the first in a full season. The series proved to be a competitive one, with the Cubs and White Sox each winning a game handily before Sunday’s adventurous finale. Amid the tension of a close game, a viral video surfaced showing Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong getting into a heated exchange with a fan during the fifth inning. Crow-Armstrong spoke on the incident postgame, and his response will make White Sox fans hate the Cubs even more.
Pete Crow-Armstrong on his interaction with a fan after missing on a tough catch in right center today: "Some lady decided to start talking shi-- and I felt the need to say it back."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) May 17, 2026
Not exactly an apology. As a professional athlete, getting into a yelling match with a fan of the opposing team isn’t a great look, and instead of acknowledging this, Crow-Armstrong doubled down. I’m not saying that fans should be allowed to say whatever they want and players need to just let it go, but the video speaks for itself. It doesn’t appear the woman in the altercation said anything to warrant Crow-Armstrong’s vulgar and disrespectful response. Sure, sometimes players get caught up in the heat of the moment, but to talk to the media hours later and still believe your actions were justified is a bad look.
PCA and winning baseball have reignited crosstown rivalry in Chicago
As a White Sox fan, baseball is more enjoyable when I hate the Cubs. Over the past few seasons, the White Sox have been a brutal watch. They’ve lost games early and often and frequently been out of the race by the time the crosstown classic arrived. For me, it sucked a lot of the fun out of the rivalry, and it made me feel largely indifferent about the Cubs. With both Chicago teams competitive, the two summer meetings between the two teams immediately become more fun and the stakes immediately become higher. Pete Crow-Armstrong is a dynamic, talented player with a big personality, and he’s quickly become one of the most exciting players in baseball. His slow start to the season has drawn heavy criticism from fans around the league, and he seems to have let his frustrations get the best of him on Sunday.
No matter how you feel about PCA’s fan interaction, the reality is that baseball is better when the Cubs and White Sox hate each other. The days of Michael Barrett punching A.J. Pierzynski after a slide into home plate feel like forever ago, but the return of competitive baseball on both sides of Chicago can rekindle the flame.
The White Sox and Cubs will meet again at Wrigley Field in August, where both teams hope to still be in the thick of the playoff mix. Hopefully, round two of the crosstown classic will be as exciting and tense as round one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google